Maya Peterson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Maya Peterson was the first black woman elected as student body president of the prestigious Lawrenceville School near Princeton, New Jersey. She graduated in June, but when she did she no longer held the illustrious position.

In March, she posted a photo of herself on Instagram mocking what she called a “typical Lawrenceville boi,” donning a hockey stick, a Yale sweatshirt, and posing with pouting lips. Three weeks later she was told by officials at the school — where tuition is a whopping $53,000 per year — that unless she resigned as student body president she would face disciplinary action. The Instagram photo has since been removed.

Here’s what you need to know about Peterson and the controversy that cost her an important line on her college application.

1. She Was Elected Against All Odds

When Peterson was elected in April 2013, she became the first black woman to hold the post of student body president. She’s also openly gay. When elected, Peterson called her victory an “opportunity” and thanked both her friends and teachers for helping her get to that point.

2. She Played Varsity Softball & Was a Member of the Gay Straight Alliance

In 2012 she won the Poetry Out Loud competition, and throughout high school was active in the school’s Gay Straight Alliance Club, in addition to playing varsity softball and participating in Winterfest. She had plans to introduce a school-wide Unity Games during her tenure as student body president, and also wanted to work on improving the cafeteria menu.

3. The Lawrenceville School Was Founded as an All-White, All-Male Institution

Black students were not permitted at The Lawrenceville School until the 1960s. Women weren’t allowed to enroll until 1987, a change that many students decried in publications as big as the Philadelphia Inquirer. In the 1980s, the chairman of the school’s board told the Inquirer that the “number of top-notch boys that we wanted to have was decreasing in size.”

4. She Wasn’t Mocking the Institution as a Whole

There is no indication or even speculation that Peterson was mocking the school as a whole, or its community. Regardless, Dean of Students Nancy Thomas told The Lawrence (the school’s newspaper) that faculty members and students felt that “it was not fitting of a student leader to make comments mocking members of the community.”

Peterson retorted to haters that she was not making a mockery of any specific person or the community in general, but rather that she was “making a mockery of the right-wing, confederate-flag-hanging, openly misogynistic Lawrentians.”

5. This Wasn’t Her First Bout With Controversy

Immediately after her election, certain members of the community decried her election, alleging that the votes hadn’t been counted correctly or that perhaps the school had even rigged the election to allow a woman to win. But Peterson’s first brush with real controversy was after an anonymous student sent the dean photos of Peterson smoking pot.

Another time, an anonymous email went out to the entire freshman class containing photos of Peterson half-naked in her private room. Peterson had no idea where the photo came from. An earlier initiative, an attempt to introduce gender-neutral bathrooms on the campus, was met with extreme criticism.

History of racism? So even though they integrated in the 60’s and have therefore BEEN integrated for 50 years, YOU will dwell on the long past versus the 50 years of integration. NICE. As for allowing women, you DON’T get it. I went to an all-women’s college in the late 70’s-early 80’s. It had a long history of being an all-women’s college and was FORCED to go co-ed in 1983. We LOVED going to a single sex university, and research has shown that both males and females do better educationally in a single sex environment. *sigh* Try again.

She is racist. The dean said, “mocking members of the community,” which is exactly what she was doing. She wasn’t just making fun of the sport they play (hockey), or the shoes/sweaters they wear, she was pretending to be a “white boi.” You can sugar coat her actions in any way you would like, but they are clear in their intent. She was mocking them for being white.

These are not “facts,” rather the author’s opinions. This is a biased article, ungrounded in truth. Don’t fool yourself– stalking Maya Peterson on Facebook and skimming a Buzzfeed article does not mean you know her, or her past intentions in the slightest. Please divorce yourself of the notion that this is journalism, and try to remember the reporting that a high school founded two hundred years ago was originally attended by Caucasian males is NOT NEWS.

What a wonderfully ignorant article, and so proud of it. She hashtagged the photo “#romney2016, #confederate, and #peakedinhighschool.” Nothing racist or asshattery their right. She said ““I’m not saying what I did was right,” Peterson told BuzzFeed. “But it wasn’t racist. I was just calling those guys exactly what they are. And Lawrenceville is the type of place where those kids are idolized.”” Clearly she and the author of this article don’t know what the definition of racism is. I wish the worst for this “girl”.

At $53,000 a year for tuition it seems the school isn’t educating the student population as well as it should be for that hefty price. Racism is often described as ‘prejudice+power’ so while she is definitely capable of being prejudice, ‘racist’ she cannot be. As a gay female of color she is operating on the lowest rung of the social ladder in American culture regardless of her financial background. She doesn’t have the oppressive power to cause any actual damage to the prevalent demographic at the school other than a couple chiding instagram pictures and a few combative comments. It’s also just really sad that so many people at the school think a couple mocking instagram pictures is all racism is. There’s no painful history of violence, enslavement, and social inequality that had lasted even up to current times behind wearing a Yale t-shirt and carrying a hockey stick. Save your tears, you have no idea what racism is and neither does most of that school it seems – I would ask for my money back.

I currently go to Lawrenceville, and while the coverage of this story makes my school seem racist, homophibic and sexist, it is not. Maya broke many school rules prior to this- something that all these articles fail to mention. As a member of our community, it is expected of you to not openly mock others based on their gender, race, sexuality or religion. As a student body president, it is even more important to set a good example. This is not a race or sexuality issue, but rather an issue about respect and abidance to school rules. If any other member of the community had acted in the same way, they would have met with the same consequences. Please don’t think that Lawrenceville is a prejudiced and hateful place- although it is by reputation a more WASP-y school, I have had the best experiences in my past three years here, even though I am not white and not particularly wealthy. I know the bias that surrounds prep schools, but I promise you that the 800 or so current students are a great group of kids who do not deserve to be marginalized by sensationalist media. These articles have left out many important facts about the entire story, and I would hope that everyone who reads this thinks about the presentation of such news before they jump to quick conclusions about a large group of high school students that they have never met before.

Amen. Some logical comments for once. I’m offended as an alum that Lville is being portrayed this way especially as someone that knows it isn’t a racist school and whose best friends are from multiple different races.

There are about 15 more high schools in the US as prestigious as Lawrenceville; however, unlike most of the others, Lawrenceville’s white students have over the years gained a reputation for mistreating non-white students by not befriending them as true equals. It’s sad.

Yayo…… someone should walk you right into a class room and educate yourself……. from your post name i can tell that that you got no life but in fact a lowife that just talks shit out of their mouth…….. this is 2014, please live you own life and love life as you love yourself

If you would aspire to leadership, you would be wise to behave better than average, not worse:

“photos of Peterson smoking pot” and “photos of Peterson half-naked in her private room”.

Since it is unlikely that either of these photos were taken by spy cameras, they suggest a certain level of irresponsibility on her part, not to mention questionable wisdom in her choice of friends and associates.

Finally, “it was not fitting of a student leader to make comments mocking members of the community,” is a legitimate complaint about a student body officer. Standing up for some arguably important cause or causes is one thing; being a continual source of public embarrassment for your personal conduct is quite another.

To sum up, this looks like Yet Another in the many, Many, MANY cases of children who treated the office of student body president as a prize to be won rather than a job to be done, but simply because she is Black, Female, and Lesbian, we are supposed to giver her a pass for behaving like an irresponsible kid.

Lawrenceville has a long history of making scholarship students feel like outcasts. Wake up: The only real racism is racism directed toward non whites. Socalled minorities at Lawrenceville are being indoctrinated into a state of confusion.

One more thing, about this Confederate Flag business: I’m appalled, but not surprised. In a nation that allows several states to still have a Confederate logo lodged within state flags, it’s no wonder that this flag, which represents hate speech, is allowed on walls in dormitories. What if several provinces in Germany had little Nazi flags embedded within their flag? Shame on Lawrenceville for victimizing this brilliant black girl who’s obviously a budding young advocate for justice in a nation that to this day hasn’t formally apologized for enslaving Africans. Post racial, yeah right.

Hasn’t formally apologized for enslaving Africans? Would you like a personal letter sent to your home? Have Africans formally apologized for selling it’s own people? Has the U.S. formally apologized to Native Americans or Mexico? Were you personally enslaved or mistreated by whites? It is time that we stop playing the slave card and realize that as awful as that was, and it was very awful, that we need to get passed that. We need to stop teaching our children that “it’s because we’re black”. Let’s call it what it is, this woman was being racist. If a white student body officer posed in baggy pants, a white tee, a chain hanging off their neck, and a pair of jordans, while eating watermelon and drinking grape soda would you not be offended? I would, just as this racist pose offends me now.

I’m actually mixed race (non-white), 27 years old, and came from a lower middle class family. I am well educated and the first in my immediate family to graduate college. You did not give a real response to anything I wrote. All you did was offend my intelligence and quoted two words from Spike Lee

Answer this, would you be offended if a white student body officer posed in baggy pants, a white tee, a chain hanging off their neck, and a pair of jordans, while eating watermelon and drinking grape soda? If so, then why would these “white bois” not be offended by her?

Ok, think of this as an experience around a Harkness Table, and the topic of discussion being “The History of the Presence of People of African Decent in the Americas, Post Middle Passage.” If the schoolteacher then asked what do you think Spike Lee’s message “Wake up” means, how would you respond? (Hint: The answer to your questions are in those two words.)

By nature of disparity, etc., in this country and throughout the world, blacks are incapable of practicing racism. If whites really wanted to end racism they–and only they–have the muscle to do so. Ms. Peterson is powerless; she like all non-whites is subject to the white power structure, sometimes called Capitalism, sometimes Socialism. It’s all the same; both promote white superiority. By the way, I still suspect that you’re white, or at least classify yourself as white.

“… blacks are incapable of practicing racism.” Sorry, but this is a ridiculous assertion.

You can’t just say racism belongs solely to those in power; racism is simply allowing someone’s race to determine your words/course of action in relation to that person, into which category this young lady’s post would certainly fall. Crying “Racism!” any time things don’t fall in favor of minorities doesn’t really help the minorities…

The statistics speak for themselves: more black males in prison today than were enslaved during chattel slavery. And I never hear of people complaining about Jews mentioning the Holocaust, which didn’t even happen in Amerikkk. So if blacks are so powerful, I guess you must work for a black-owned company? Blacks only have the ability to hurt your feelings; whites, on the other hand, have the power to hurt you where it counts, in the wallet—just as whites may now be deciding to make it difficult for Ms. Peterson to attend the college of her choice. (It’s ironic how racial profiling is ok if done by a police officer, but not if done by a college admission’s officer. If blacks had the power to practice racism, then they wouldn’t have to march in the streets for justice most of the time. All whites have to do, after all, is print more paper money as needed. To all my young black brothers and sisters reading these comments, please start thinking out of the box. Whites have been purposefully educating you to only think the way they want you to think. One last thing: Ms. Peterson has the most beautiful hair. I’m so glad she doesn’t straighten it.

http://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_race.jsp. Copy that web link and realize that 60% of people in prison are whites, while less than 40% are blacks, so in terms of what race is imprisoned more. Whites are the answer. Of course, there are more whites in the United States so it would go to figure that more whites are in prison.. Nonetheless, there are more whites that are imprisoned today.

Is your comment a response to mine, chambers? It’s difficult to know, since I don’t see anything in yours that addresses my point… regardless who is in power, anyone is capable of racism. I gave you an off-the-cuff definition, and Anonymous provided a much more precise definition several comments down from here. Racism is absolutely and utterly independent of the power structure in place. If you disagree with the formal definition of racism, that’s fine; I’d just like to know, because if you do there’s no point in you and I discussing this any further since we’re talking about different things.

I assure you that I am not white, nor do I classify myself as white. I do, however classify myself as well educated. Please do not confuse my being educated with being white; it belittles my race, as well as your own, to think that because someone speaks intelligently or proper or doesn’t agree with you that they are white. I do not use slang or agree with your beliefs, so I must be white.. I am proud of who I am. I am not a race, nor shall I be defined as such. Blacks, as well as any other non white person can be racist. Racism, by definition, is “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior”. Are there no blacks or minorities that feel that there race is superior, such as the black panthers or those with brown pride. If even one black or non white feel that there race is superior to others then it is possible for them to be racist, according to the actual definition of racism.

1) The repercussions of slavery have not stopped just because the actual slave trade has -it’s called institutionalized racism.
2) So what if Africans sold their own people? Some of them were evil too and it doesn’t make white people any less guilty – especially when they did it on a much larger scale. That’s like saying my neighbor murdered someone so I should be able to as well.
3) There is no getting past anything. Blacks are incarcerated at a much higher rate, they’re constantly mistreated, and often get the short end of the stick on legislation. They are not equal in American society.
4) If a white person posed in black face eating watermelon it would be a million more times offensive than what she did because blacks actually suffered consequences behind such hurtful imagery. Black face was used by white actors so they wouldn’t have to give the roles to blacks. It was often done in a very dehumanizing, cruel and stereotypical way. At the same time blacks were being hung and discriminated against. So her having a hockey stick or someone saying white girls like Starbucks doesn’t have quite the same sting when you think about it. If you think at all.

You make some very valid points Anonymous. Also, I did not say it was ok for whites to sell blacks just because Africans did. Chambers mentioned not being formally apologized to, so I stated that blacks have not formally apologized to themselves for having sold their own brothers. I am not condoning the actions of whites through that statement. Are blacks incarcerated for being black or are they doing something illegal to land them there. I do agree that non whites are not equal in American society, and am in no way arguing that. I understand black face and that blacks were dehumanized and stereotyped in this way and that it stings much harder, but knowing that, why would we want to do that on even the lowest level to another human being or race. I do think, and for you to insinuate the opposite because I disagree with some of what you think is very distasteful. I have not insulted anyone on here, let alone you, and yet in your first message to me you choose to insult me rather than just voice your opinion.

Ugh, I didn’t outright insult you but I could definitely have no included the last line – I apologize.

You would actually be surprised at the disparities in the prison industrial complex when it comes to race-based incarceration. For instance the penalty for possession of crack cocaine is much more severe than the penalty for cocaine even though the former is just cocaine cut with baking soda. This is actually because cocaine is seen more as a white/white-collar drug where as crack is seen as a more black/street/blue collar drug. I would suggest watching a documentary called “The House I Live In” to learn more about it.

I don’t think what she’s doing is inherently wrong. She’s oppressed and felt the need to draw attention to it throw jest at her oppressors. I guess she could have done it in a more respectable way, but when has that really ever worked in history?

Now that you put it like that… I wasn’t aware that the penalty for possession of crack was much more severe than that of cocaine. That is interesting; I will definitely have to check that out. I agree that she probably feels oppressed, at least to some degree; Hard to know, as I have never really felt like that, seeming as I live in Southern California and attended schools where whites were the minority. In fact, whites at my school were usually the ones getting bullied and picked on, so maybe my views are a bit skewed because of this.

Interestingly, My wife and I have been looking to move to Northern California pending a job offer and we talked about how uncomfortable it would be to move into a predominantly white neighborhood, being that we are not and that we are used to having “familiar faces” around, and how we would become such a small minority; It’s like 80% whites. So I imagine if her family is wealthy, then chances are she lives in a predominantly white neighborhood, which may make her feel even more oppressed. Either way, she should have handled herself better and may do so later because of this.

I am African and I am a graduate of Yale and Columbia Universities. My freshman year a room mate hung a confederate flag in the living room of our suite all year long. For me, it had no real significance because I was not of the land and I knew very little about the.history of America. Most socializing was done outside of dorms then and as such I did not get to experience how that picture could have impacted other Black people to whom it may have had significance.Even today, I cannot pretend to know how it galvanizes those who fly the flags and neither can I approximate how flying that flag enrages others. But I know much about Africa and its history and I know how in printing the legend, it becomes fact.The idea of African complicity in the trans-Atlantic slave trade is revisionist.Let me give you a very simple scenario of the events here in West Africa at that time. An invader comes,with superior weapons of destruction (guns and poisons), overruns villages, puts guns to the heads of the captured and leads them in invading other villages. Those who resisted were killed in front of their compatriots to stem any dissent and to survive, many acquiesced.The idea that Africans were partners in the carnage is a pathetic attempt on the part of White America to downplay the role of their ancestors by fabricating facts in the hope of diluting the seriousness of its involvevement.

You’re right, Sumanguru, that yours is not the version of events we hear in America; really, though, what you’ve said sounds much more realistic than the western version of “well, their own people sold them to us…”. There’s really nothing good about that aspect of the United States’ history, but I deeply appreciate your illuminating information.

She was elected against all odds? This wasn’t the lottery; she didn’t just happen to win. She was voted for, and if this school is majority whites, then she was voted for by some of them as well. She would not have become school president without some, and probably quite a few, of these “white bois” that she was bashing.

She Played Varsity Softball & Was a Member of the Gay Straight Alliance.. That’s great, but that has nothing to do with her being racist.

The Lawrenceville School Was Founded as an All-White, All-Male Institution.. And your point is? There are many All- Black institutions, as well as scholarships that are only for blacks. Also, it is no longer an All-White, All-Male Institution and has not been for a long time.

She Wasn’t Mocking the Institution as a Whole? So, it’s ok to mock some so long as you don’t mock all? So can a white person mock black people? They would not be mocking the United States as a whole. They would not be mocking minorities as a whole, so this must be okay??

This Wasn’t Her First Bout With Controversy.. When you’re in the limelight you should realize that everything you do or say will be scrutinized. People are waiting for you to mess up. You need to be on top of your game. I don’t even know how this point even defends her. People weren’t setting her up. She was doing wrong and people were probably trying to catch her doing it and succeeded.

If President Obama was caught smoking pot would the people not call for his immediate removal, and yet this girl was given another chance.

This article is trying to paint a picture of the world against this one girl, but in reality, she was voted into office by this “world” and therefore was not an enemy of this world, until she turned against it, or the majority of it. She made poor choices, smoking pot and mocking a majority of the students attending, who also pay that whopping $53,000, and was consequently removed from office. Sounds fair to me, especially considering the penalty a “white boi” would have paid if he had mocked blacks, or even if he had mocked this one woman for her being black and lesbian. She should be thankful that she was only removed from her school presidency and not from the school entirely, which honestly would have probably been too harsh anyway, but would have served as a good example.

1) You call that bashing? A picture? Ever heard of lynching? Gay bashing? :-/
2) She can’t be racist – she’s a black woman and can’t even get married in most states.
3) Black Institutions were often founded BECAUSE there were all white institutions first – if they won’t let you in their club make your own club.
4) White people mock black people 24/7, 365 days a year. The entire American government is a mockery of black people.
5) He’s the president of the United States of course he would be impeached for doing drugs while in office. I’m sure he smoked a fat blunt back in the day though. She’s a student body president of a prep school. Let’s not act like all those white kids aren’t smoking weed and doing coke in their Maseratis in the Hamptons.
6) Basically you’re saying she should let people walk all over her. The Women’s Suffrage, Civil Rights, and current Gay Rights movement would not have happened if everyone just sat down and kept quiet like you want :-).

1) Just because it is nowhere near as bad as lynching and gay bashing does not mean it’s not bashing.
2) She most certainly can be racist – Racism, by definition, is “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior”. Are there no blacks or minorities that feel that there race is superior, such as the black panthers or those with brown pride. If even one black or non white feel that there race is superior to others then it is possible for them to be racist, according to the actual definition of racism.

3) I do not know this to be false so I will accept it, but still there are black only scholarships.

4)You need to explain this a little better, but regardless it’s not right. Nor is it right for blacks to mock whites regardless of this being true. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

5) You are right. Most likely many of the students are also smoking marijuana or doing other drugs, but the principal cannot just dismiss her wrongdoings just because others may be doing it. She is a leader at her school and all eyes are on her, so it is that much more crucial that she act in an appropriate manner. I used the president reference to amplify the importance of maintaining one’s image when the limelight is shining on them, but of course it is much more severe if our president were doing this, but pretend for a second that we, as a nation, represent the school and President Obama our president. You and I can do stuff without getting a second glance thrown our way, but he can’t even blink wrong without someone catching it on camera.

I do not believe that she should let anyone walk all over her. The movements that you listed are great examples of how minorities were able to overcome their oppressors, but I don’t remember gays bashing straight people or women bashing men in order to achieve these results, and as such, this young woman was unable to achieve results by bashing these “white bois”.

1) She basically created a meme, it’s hardly bashing and minimally offensive. Is a Yale shirt inherently offensive? Or a hockey stick? Telling people who hang confederate flags that they have confederate flags? Telling people who voted for Romney that they voted for Romney?
2) Let me also quote Wikipedia: “One view holds that racism is best understood as ‘prejudice plus power’ because without the support of political or economic power, prejudice would not be able to manifest as a pervasive cultural, institutional or social phenomenon.” She can be prejudice, but does not have the socioeconomic power to be racist in any significant way. She cannot oppress anyone.
3) There are black only scholarships because blacks are often less socioeconomically well off. There are also gay only scholarships, scholarships for if you were born in the south, scholarships for if you’re handicapped and scholarships for Swedish people only. This is hardly a point.
4) It would take me years to explain this adequately but honestly just walk outside or watch tv.
5) The principal didn’t relieve her of the position for pictures of her smoking weed it was because of the pictures shown above. I’m not sure why it was even brought up but basically I was saying all high schoolers smoke weed and unless she does it on school property it’s hardly their business.
6) Once again this is hardly bashing. She is a gay black woman like who do you honestly think she is instilling fear in? Women used to not be able to vote and are still victims of the patriarchy. blacks used to not be able to vote and are currently still victims of institutional racism, and gays are currently fighting for equal rights and battling homophobia. She falls into ALL of those categories. Something tells me she knows a little more about oppression and being offended than these “white bois” that are so hurt about her instagram picture and ‘mean’ hashtags.

My post just got erased and I’m not rewriting so I’ll sum up what I didn’t save.
1) She is saying all rich whites voted for Romney and hang confederate flags. If that is ok, then it must be ok to say all poor blacks eat watermelon and are too lazy to work. It is insulting to those whom these do not apply.

2) Wikipedia holds no weight as it is opinion based and can be written by anyone, which includes the person’s opinions, beliefs, and bias. Racism is defined as prejudice and the thought of ones race being superior. That is all that is required, nothing else.
3) Same holds true to what would happen to President Obama if he decided to make fun of those who elected him or others for that matter. It would give a bad appearance just as this young woman did.
4) Blacks mock whites 24/7 365 days a year. No proof needed. See I just did what you did. It doesn’t hold any ground.

5) You are right; she was not relieved for the pot, but I doubt that helped her case. Using the presidential example though; I doubt people would be very happy if President Obama created a meme making fun of those that put him in office, or anyone in that matter. She held a position with the school and created bad publicity for the school, and the school disciplined her accordingly, as is there right. I hope it doesn’t haunt her forever, but rather teaches her a lesson as she achieves success. All high schoolers do not smoke weed, albeit many do but definitely not all. She is also held to a higher standard because of her position. It is the school’s business, as it makes their image look bad, which may drop enrollment, and thus the school’s future success, just like if this were a regular business. Bottom line she is creating bad business for the school, especially if many of their customers are offended. Are you going to go to a restaurant that allows it’s employees to be rude to you or whom do nothing about other guests being rude. They had to do something to maintain their business appearance.

6) I never said she was instilling fear in anyone. Racism does require fear and thus that is irrelevant. I agree that she falls into these categories but that does not give her the right to act out in this manner. If I am bullied all my life is it then ok to bully others that had it better because hey I had it worst. No, and it’s not ok for her to offend these “white bois” either, when it would greatly offend her or blacks in general if it were reversed.

1) She’s generalizing yes, and perhaps incorrectly so, but I have a hard time believing people who shell out $53,000 for a prep school, not even college, would vote anything but Republican. Anyways, calling people poor and lazy is much worse than calling them Republican but I digress.
2) I only quoted Wikipedia ironically, because you seemed to lift your definition from it, or a basic Google search. Without getting too far into the semantics of the word you demonstrate a VERY basic understanding of it. I can’t really help you with that, you have to read more and want to know more. Just know that most scholars who have actually studied racism and race politics in depth do not simply think racism is just hatred for another race. Racism against Jews ended in mass extermination. Racism against blacks ended in slavery and ongoing oppression. Racism against whites ended in what? Surely you can seen it’s obtuse not to differentiate between the first 2 and the last one on their vast difference in consequences. White people have never had anything bad happen to them because they have always been on the antagonistic end of things. In the present power structure they are the only ones truly capable of racism. Everyone else can just glance meanly, scowl or say a bad word and then go back to being oppressed.
3) Your 3 doesn’t accurately respond to my 3.
4) This is exasperating to say the least, I find myself having to do your thinking for you. Ok, let’s talk about school shootings. How come the vast majority of them are committed by whites and they always end up being deemed ‘mentally ill’ but when a black person does something violent they’re just an angry thug? How come the first (half) black man to break the race-based presidential glass ceiling was questioned as to whether or not he was actually an American by birth? As if someone running for presidency wouldn’t know that was a basic requirement. People make racist ‘jokes’ about Obama all the time despite him being the most powerful man in the world. There are soooo many accounts of white people casually doing black face at their little get together’s its not even funny. Black people are almost always stereotyped by the media, which is largely white owned. Black children who managed to break down educational barriers are deemed ‘oreos’ or ‘white acting’ by their classmates who cannot comprehend that people can be smart AND black. How about the lies Republicans always paint about black people relying on government assistance when anyone who knows anything about it can see that even if they wanted to it would be impossible to rely on $300 a month for food. I could talk myself blue in the face and still not scratch the surface of how blacks are mocked and degraded every single day. Black people go through thousands of micro-aggressions on a daily basis.
5) Again, how did weed come into this? I’m starting to think you’re only bringing it up because she’s black and has dreads.
6) Racism doesn’t require fear? So what does it require in your opinion – love? My word, I can’t believe you even said that. I’m kind of done with this back and forth because you’re not educated enough on the subject to have a substantial discussion at your current level. You sound very sheltered. I suggest you travel a bit, do some reading, see and interact with other cultures, TALK to people of different races and then see how your perspective changes on what you just said :-).

Maya Peterson did not instill fear of black lesbians. That’s true. If that’s the definition of racism some use, I disagree with it. However, she made an extremely hurtful statement when she posted “#confederate”. To me, that’s racist to imply that Lawrenceville white boys are flag waving Confederates. Do you know what that means to the vast majority of white people? It’s like calling a German a Nazi. It’s accusing them of hate crimes. That’s what I find offensive. Does anyone even believe that there are many southern white boys at Lawrenceville? It’s a vastly northeastern student body (like Maya). It’s about 40% international students, some of whom are light skinned – but I think we agree they have nothing to do with the concept of a “confederate.” I also find it offensive that she tried to “even the score” for perceived mistreatment by white “bois”. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

#4 – You gotta be kidding me. Wasn’t ‘mocking the institution as a whole’? How about an entire demographic? She a racist. This isn’t the only time she’s said racist things, and not the only group she’s said derogatory things about.

I can only imagine if I dressed up in some outfit meant to mock an entire demographic and claimed I was “just trying to be an xxx girl”. No piece of journalism would attempt to explain this. Imagine the outrage if I painted blackface, put a sombrero on, or pulled my eyes tight to the side and claimed I was just trying to be a ‘Black/Mexican/Asian’ girl. I’m sure just thought of linking a sombrero with a Mexican has somebody already screaming racist.

Stereotypes are insensitive. They lump people together. And to make matter worse, majority of people who perpetuate stereotypes have no culture. And let’s not get into the irony of stereotypes. This stereotype by Maya portrays a well-dressed, Yale-aspiring jock. If only other races had to live down such damning, negative stereotypes…

So if I being white dress up like Trayvon and have fake blood splattered on my chest as a way of protesting high black crime rates, it’s OK because I’m not talking about all black folks and I volunteer for my local police department.

I would greatly love to contact this “writer” and inform her of the gross failings in moral consistency she’s engaging in, but she seems to intentionally hide herself. Perhaps it’s that if you Google her name you find her wedding photos and that her wedding was nearly as white as a Klan rally, and here she is being the righteous thunderbolt telling white children to tolerate being mocked by a militant black because she’s done so much for homosexuals.

“Gender neutral” bathrooms set up women to be sexually harassed and predatorialized upon. Doing so for ANY reason is sickening, let alone to soothe the feelings of militant hermaphrodites or people with gender identity disorder.

Another important fact: Lawrenceville has a set of “major” school rules that if you break, you get kicked out. Maybe not when you break one, but always when you break two. Maya broke a major school rule when she cheated on an exam as a freshman. She was caught, “got a major,” was protected by Dean Thomas, and stayed. She broke another days later when she sent racist, threatening tweets at the Sihk student that caught her cheating. She faced no disciplinary actions over this, and the target of her bullying (or derogatory comment, hate crime, call it what you will) was basically told to shut up. I’m not kidding! She never showed up to student counsel meetings before all school meeting, she did nothing to advance the gender neutral bathroom in Bunn Library, and honestly- I like her, even though she truly has a reputation as a not-that-nice-person – was a pretty crummy president. If you understand the emphasis that Lville- like every highschool in 2014- has for Zero Tolerance for Bullying – it is NO surprise she faced disciplinary action for this. The only surprise is that she didn’t get a major for bullying (like the single student did for the Confed flag in his room), she didn’t get a major for smoking pot (pictures she had on her MYSPACE), she didn’t get a major for her racist twitter comments, and that she never got kicked out. Dean Thomas want to see her succeed, gave her numerous chances, and Maya screwed it up.

The destruction of Lawrenceville. The damage can’t be undone. There was always a question whether Lawrenceville the all male prep school should go coed. The answer is clear that this was a dreadful mistake. It is now nothing more than a public high school for rich kids and token experimentation. This episode warrants expulsion but either way, Lawrenceville now joins the landscape as just another decaying monument to the idiocracy. .